


An Awkward Date

by sugarmoons



Series: The Pining Healer and the Reckless Auror [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Flirting, Healer Draco Malfoy, M/M, Pining, coffee shop date, past crushes, they're both dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26164513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarmoons/pseuds/sugarmoons
Summary: Draco has never been so nervous about a date, then again neither has Harry. The pair may love each other but that doesn't mean they can speak to each other easily.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter
Series: The Pining Healer and the Reckless Auror [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1900024
Comments: 5
Kudos: 78





	An Awkward Date

For a supposedly self-assured healer, Draco Malfoy was panicking. He hadn’t been on a date in years, much less sat down with someone he pined over for eons. What was he meant to do? To wear? Merlin, he spent more time in his work clothes then he did in anything else. His composure was shattered. No amount of logged hours or medicinal potions could fix it.

He had held up his end of the deal he made with Harry though. He stopped his shifts when he was meant to, instead of staying on overtime to tend to his patients. His co-workers had praised him for taking a break. Just as they had praised him for pushing himself to his limits. Unless Draco was collapsing in the on-call room he wasn’t entirely happy with his work life. Still a date with Harry made it worth it.

Taking some time off also meant he could keep an eye on Harry. Making sure that he was taking it easy as he had promised. Which seemed to be a bigger challenge than it sounded. Harry had apparently been pacing in the middle of the night, telling the night nurses that he just needed to move around a bit. The second he was offered a wheelchair he was right back under the covers of his hospital bed. The boy-who-lived had become more of a boy who refused to sit still and rest. And it drove Draco up the walls. 

Still, Harry had recovered well. The spells held and the potions passed without any issues. He was in perfect condition for their date and an embarrassing part of Draco wished he was stuck on bed rest. At least then the nerves wouldn’t be eating away at him. 

He pulled on some jeans and an unwrinkled t-shirt. He looked tidy, put together and a little like he was going back to his uni dorm. He really did need to update his out of work wardrobe. His heart pounded as he walked to the coffee shop, his hands sweaty inside his jacket pockets. He wondered if Harry was in a similar state to him. All worked up and nervous. Or did that Gryffindor confidence spill into adulthood. 

Surprisingly Harry was there first. Draco never pinned him for the punctual type but was sort of glad he didn’t have to sit and wallow in his own anxieties.

The second they met eyes a grin grew across Harry’s face. It reached his ears and his emerald eyes shined with adoration. Draco felt his heart speed up, thumping against his ribs. They were more like teenagers in love than adults. Though in all honesty there wasn’t much wrong with that.

Draco hung his coat on the back of his chair before leaving to go order. There was an odd shuffle were Harry had to explain he felt too awkward to sit down without something and was too scared that he’d fuck up Draco’s drink of choice to order for him. They both let out uncomfortable laughs as a result, unsure on how to respond.

By the time Draco had ordered his plain black coffee and scone the awkward air seemed to have cleared. Now came an even more daunting task. Conversation. Not slow small talk but a real conversation that let them understand the other. And neither were ready to begin it.

“You’ve healed well,” Draco commented. 

He’d said the same thing the day he discharged Harry for St. Mungos.

Harry nodded in response, taking a long sip of his tea, “I had an excellent healer.”

Draco catching onto the flirting played along, “You’ll have to give me their name, always good to pick up some tips.”

“You probably already know him,” a smile appeared on Harry’s lip as he tried to stifle his own laughter, it wasn’t funny persay but he had a habit of reacting with a random laugh, “He’s awfully handsome. It’s a miracle he didn’t give me a heart attack at the sight of him in his perfect white coat.”

“Is that so?” Draco raised a brow, “Then I definitely need a name. Nothing like an attractive guy to spice up the workplace.”

Harry almost spit out his tea. A hearty cough left his throat as he tried to regain his composure. He could just imagine working with Draco, he’d be so lost in those silver eyes he would forget about his patients.

He could have lost himself in them right then. Fantasising about domesticity and sneaky kisses. A warm fuzzy feeling bloomed in his chest, his heart going down the high dip on his very own roller coaster. Death by Draco didn’t sound so bad.

“So,” Draco started. He didn’t have anywhere to go, he just didn’t want such a gap between their voices. 

“So,” Harry basically agreed, there was a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, “Why did you agree to this date Dr Malfoy?”

Draco froze. He knew exactly why. It was the years of pining and yearning and daydreaming. The thoughts of waking up next to Harry and placing kisses down his defined jaw.

“Why did you ask?” He countered.

“You answer mine, I’ll answer yours,” Harry bargained. It was like he knew that Draco’s curiosity would consume his insecurity.

“Fine,” he huffed, “I like you. I’ve liked you for a while. And you gave me the perfect opportunity to act upon it.”

Draco was about six seconds away from a heart attack. He could hear his pulse in his ears, pumping the blood furiously as he rationalises the situation.

“How long is a while?” Harry pushed, smirking. He was enjoying this. With or without cruel intent.

Red in the face and hands in fists under the circular wooden table, Draco replied, “A long fucking while. Now why did you ask me out in the first place, Potter?”

The tips of Harry’s ears went pink and his smile dropped. He was still far more composed than Draco but he clearly didn’t like being in the hot seat. 

“Well, I guess, or well you could say or -” Harry gulped down the rest of his tea. Using it as a momentary distraction, “I, um, I liked you too. For a long while.”

Calmer Draco returned the favour, “How long is a while?”

“Oh, you know, a couple of years or so.”

So around the time Draco became his healer. A similar time to when his own feelings resurfaced. Merlin's beard, suppressing his crush back in Hogwarts had really affected him later in life. Draco tried not to look pleased. 

All that he could manage to say was, “Oh, okay.”

And then they were back to the awkward first date silence. What basic questions could they ask that the other didn’t know already from their school years? Hell, Draco knew Harry’s bloody medical history.

Both frustrated they sighed, in an odd together way that made them both stare at each other in surprise.

“I swear it was easier when I was taking the piss out of you,” Draco said, playing with the handle of his mug.

“Oh, definitely,” Harry agreed, “I need to get back into the mindset that you’re plotting my doom, I could go on and on to you back then.”

“What if I’m plotting our relationship instead, would that work? I feel like plotting your doom kind of defeats the purpose of this date. At least for me.”

Harry chuckled, the sound made Draco’s stomach flutter.

“Okay, so if you’re plotting our relationship, what am I doing?”

“Sneaking around corners and trying to deduce what I’m going to do next. Is it a date, a gift or a flirty letter? Who knows? You certainly don’t.”

They both felt more at ease now. Joking about how ridiculous they were back at school. Two closeted boys who were suppressing their feelings only for them to pop up later in life.

It was nice to finally have something they’d always secretly wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh! I wrote a follow up for 'A tiring shift'. I've never done this before so I do hope it's okay. I didn't want to make it a multi-chapter fic because I have a tendency of abandoning those.
> 
> Please give me some feedback, I'm desperate to know this is okay <3


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